Brown University: Don't Reward PepsiCo CEO Indra Nooyi

PepsiCo CEO Indra Nooyi is not only an advisor to Donald J. Trump, she makes $29.8 million a year selling junk food produced with links to child labor, human rights abuses, and deforestation.

Recently, Ms. Nooyi’s company has seen scorn, outrage, and righteous anger after co-opting Ieshia Evans iconic photo at a Movement for Black Lives protest, combining it with the anti-Trump resistance movement, and packaging it up in the out of touch and insulting Pepsi commercial starring Kendall Jenner.

Yet, Brown University is awarding Ms. Nooyi an honorary degree at this year’s Commencement. We call on University President Christina Paxson to revoke this recognition from Indra Nooyi.

Brown University prides itself on promoting positive social change through academic excellence, revelatory research, and passionate students and staff. For the following reasons, we are requesting that Indra Nooyi not be awarded an honorary degree at Brown University’s 2017 Commencement ceremony:

Indra Nooyi Supports the Trump Administration: As a member of President Trump’s Business Council, Indra Nooyi is complicit in the current administration’s racist, xenophobic, misogynistic, and anti-environment agenda.

PepsiCo appropriates social movements: PepsiCo’s recent commercial, mixing protest with slick advertising and celebrities, was out of touch and insulting to real social movements, with particular disregard for the suffering of Black communities at the hands of police.

PepsiCo’s supply chain is riddled with irresponsibly produced palm oil: PepsiCo is using palm oil linked to deforestation, species extinction, human rights abuses, and exploitation and endangerment of workers - including women and children—in its snacks sold across the globe. Pepsi’s Indonesian partner Indofood has been caught red-handed exploiting its workers and putting children to work on its plantations. Bulldozers linked to PepsiCo’s suppliers continue to destroy precious rainforests like the Leuser Ecosystem. [www.ran.org/solidarity]

Because of these corrupt practices, we - Brown University alumni and students - are asking you to join us in calling on Brown University President Paxson to not award PepsiCo CEO Indra Nooyi an honorary degree at this year’s Commencement.